Ca. year unknown

The official description on the back of this postcard reads: “Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The 1970’s are bringing an unprecedented explosion in the industrial growth of Calgary; Canada’s fastest growing city. The skyline of downtown Calgary is a spectacular panorama of ever growing skyscrapers.”

Ca. 1970

Ca. 1971

The original Eaton’s Centre as it was in 1971. In 1988, the building was demolished and redeveloped. However, he original facade was stripped, labelled and stored so it could go back up once the upgrade was complete.

Ca. 1971

Like its population, Calgary’s economy grew tremendously in the 1970s as oil prices soared during the Arab Oil Embargo. In 1973 the price of oil was trading at $3 (USD) a barrel, and it climbed to $15 almost overnight. By the end of the decade, the price was almost $40 a barrel.

Ca. 1971

Ca. 1972

At the height of the Alberta oil boom in the 1970s, Calgary issued more than $1 billion worth of construction permits annually, more than Chicago or New York, according to CBC. Apartment vacancy rates during this period approached zero as Ontarians and Maritimers arrived daily in search of high-paying jobs.